Real Gibbs Wear Pink
by madame.alexandra
Summary: or, the story of the laundry debacle that turned everything pink and purple. When Levi is getting made fun of at school, Kelly calls her Dad to save the day. And in the mean time, why does Jenny keep finding tiny toy horses hidden in her things? LBSF tag. Pretty cutesy, I promise. Jenny/Gibbs.


_A/N: Ah, LBSF, the universe after my own heart. This is a cute bit of Levi/Gibbs with (actually) sort of equally cute Jenny/Gibbs sprinkled without. Pink power!_

_Canon Notes: Levi is 5, Jenny & Gibbs are married, Kelly & Tim are engaged, Kelly & Levi live in an apartment. _

* * *

Leroy Jethro Gibbs, retired, badass Marine sniper, was sprawled on his back on the living room floor engaged in a heated game of tug of war with the dog for _no_ other reason than he was _bored_. With no boat to work on and no rambunctious grandson to supervise, his days had gotten significantly less interesting. He hadn't come up with a new substantial woodworking project to start, and he could only entertain himself whittling children's toys for so long.

That, and his stupid new wife was starting to mock him for all of the little wooden horses he was making and she didn't seem to care that he was damn good at it.

It didn't matter; he was going to teach her to appreciate the horses. She'd learn her lesson when she started finding them in her drawers and shoes and purses and coat pockets.

Pterodactyl let out a growl and yanked hard on his rawhide bone, determined to wrench it out of his master's hands this time. Gibbs tightened his grip and disallowed that notion, and then he growled right back at the dog, baring his teeth menacingly. Pterodactyl gave a much meeker growl in response, and Gibbs smirked, satisfied that he was still alpha in _some_ aspects of his life.

Pterodactyl lifted his paw and patted Gibbs' shoulder playfully, wagging his tale, and Gibbs grinned, half a second away from talking to the dog in a semi-cutesy voice. Before he could employ the super secret nickname he had for the dog—to be used only when no one else could hear—the phone rang.

It was as if the universe knew when he was doing something embarrassing. He wouldn't doubt it if it was his wife calling to give him some convoluted five course menu for dinner and leave him to _guess_ if she was serious or not.

Gibbs glared at the cordless menace ringing obnoxiously on the table and contemplated not answering it. He raised an eyebrow at the dog for guidance, the phone squealed again, and the German Shepard barked excitedly at the noise, letting go of his toy.

Gibbs glared, and got up off the floor, rubbing his knee as he leaned forward and picked up the phone. He sat down on the edge of the couch, dangling the toy teasingly for Pterodactyl, and answered warily.

"Hi, Daddy," his daughter greeted. "What're you up to?"

He tried to think of something awesome he could be doing, but nothing convincing came to mind and he just glared at the dog reluctantly before answering her.

"Nothin'."

"Aww," Kelly sympathized, and he could hear the smile in her voice. "You really miss Levi, don't you?" she asked.

"Nope," he retorted gruffly.

It was a fairly transparent lie, but he had to try to save some face. It was weird enough that Levi and Kelly had moved to an apartment right before Gibbs and Jenny had gotten married, but Levi had started Kindergarten and the lack of grandson around the house was a lot more depressing than Gibbs had thought it would be.

"Mmm-hmm," Kelly said, gloating. "Liar," she accused.

"I have a wife now," Gibbs pointed out. "She's more fun than a kid."

"Last week you said she was the devil and you regretted marrying her."

"Well last week she spray painted my tools pink."

"I hope that's not a euphemism," Kelly said vaguely.

"_Why_ are you calling me?" Gibbs growled, annoyed.

"It has to do with pink, actually," Kelly said dryly, and then sighed. "Levi's past couple days at school have been kind of a bummer."

"He's been there _two_ weeks," Gibbs said skeptically.

"It's not an academic problem," Kelly retorted. "He's being teased a little, and his spirit's a little down because of it," she explained, a hint of protectiveness creeping into her voice. "Today when I picked him up from Little League he told me he was quitting Kindergarten."

Gibbs bristled.

"What the hell are they teasing him about?" he demanded, outraged at the thought. And then, momentarily distracted, he changed his tune. "You picked him up, not Maddie? Is Jen on her way home?"

"Daddy, how bored _are_ you?" Kelly asked, laughing a little. Her father and Maddie Tyler traded days taking Levi after school or Little League; sometimes on Little League days Kelly was off work early enough to grab him herself. "No, she and DiNozzo are working late. Kate and I are off the hook because we have kids."

Gibbs grumbled about _that_ for a minute before snapping back into pissed off grandparent mode and narrowing his eyes at imaginary children for mocking his favorite little punk. He dropped Pterodactyl's toy on the floor and the dog pounced; Gibbs scratched his hears and waited for Kelly to elaborate.

"It's partially my fault," she admitted. "Monday I sent him to school in a pink shirt."

Gibbs stopped petting the dog and turned his head, glaring into the phone for a moment.

"Why the hell did you do that?"

"I didn't _buy_ him a the pink shirt!" Kelly exclaimed. "We're having a laundry crisis over here and I didn't think twice about it! I figured the kids who made fun of it would forget by the next day but," she paused.

"But _what_?" Gibbs growled.

"But I accidentally sent him in pink socks the next day?" she answered, and he could practically _hear_ her wince through the phone.

"Move back in," Gibbs ordered. "You need guidance."

"Oh come on, Dad."

"Can't let you dress my grandson in pink."

"And you have so much experience dressing boys?" Kelly retorted smartly. "May I remind you you're speaking to your _female_ only child?"

Gibbs growled under his breath about doing a damn good job of dressing Levi for five years before Kelly stole him with some dumbass excuse about _finally getting on her feet_ and _moving out_.

"Why was he wearing a pink shirt? What _laundry_ crisis?" he scoffed, glaring at Pterodactyl since he couldn't physically glare at Kelly.

The dog pranced around with his rawhide bone, oblivious to his master's distress.

"Because Tim doesn't know how to sort colours," Kelly fired back, clearly annoyed. "He offered to help me do laundry, and we've been so busy at work and planning the wedding and I was happy he tried but apparently he wears the same five colours that can all be washed together and he put all the whites in and now everything's either pink or purple—I can't talk about it, Daddy, it's too painful," Kelly sighed, breaking off.

"What kind of man can't do his damn laundry the right way?" growled Gibbs.

"Not everyone raised a daughter on their own, okay?" Kelly answered. "Look, he tried, and that's…sort of what matters," she defended her fiancé lukewarmly, and then sighed, stressed. "He's trying to make it up. He's got Levi at the Air and Space museum now, and he's taking him for ice cream, to see if he can cheer him," she went on.

Gibbs grunted vaguely, still unconvinced of Timothy McGee's good intentions.

"What kind of shirt was it?" he asked.

"Well…"

"_Kelly_."

"It was Power Rangers," she reluctantly divulged, "and it just had the diamond logo design and it was white—"

"You sent my grandson to school dressed as the _pink power ranger_?!"

"Will you just chill out?" Kelly ordered. "Don't have a heart attack or anything. I really didn't think it was _that_ big of a deal, but I guess when you add in the pink socks—and that was really an accident—and then DiNozzo said that it only would have been okay if it was a pink polo and Levi was a frat brother—"

"Don't let DiNozzo have kids," Gibbs interrupted darkly. He lowered his head into his hands, feeling sorry for poor Levi. "Jesus, Kelly," he whined at her.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Kelly said sincerely. "I don't remember kids being such little bastards about colours!"

"It's _pink_, Kel, he's a _boy_."

"Colour doesn't have a gender, _Don Draper_," she retorted snippily.

"_What_ did you call me?"

"Never _mind_," she snapped. He _heard_ her rolling her eyes. "I called because I think you can help," she said earnestly.

"What do you want me to do, you're the one who traumatized him!"

His daughter took a deep breath, and he heard her messing around with something. She jingled some keys, he heard a door slam, and she sighed heavily; he heard her slamming something onto a counter.

"I love Tim, I really do, but this isn't his _thing_," she said. "He's a nerd, he's awkward, he was picked on in school, DiNozzo picks on him at work. He's a genius and he's a sweetheart but he's not the sports guy or the burly guy, and you are and you've been the biggest male influence in Levi's life," Kelly paused, hesitating. "Dad, you've basically raised him thus far, and I think, you know, it would really help if you picked him up to play some ball or somethin' and sort of told him wearing pink doesn't make him a girl or anything."

Gibbs scratched the dog's ears thoughtfully, suddenly struck with how much he really did miss interacting with and taking care of Levi every _single_ day. It was an adjustment to go from being a constant in the kid's life to being an _actual_ grandparent—just that guy Levi saw on the weekends when he wasn't home with his Mom and soon-to-be-dad.

"Hey, maybe you could show him your pink tools?" Kelly suggested wryly, and he could sense her smiling hopefully.

"Yeah, I'll talk to 'im," Gibbs agreed, nodding curtly. He threw Pterodactyl's toy for him and watched the dog dart off hyperactively. "Pterodactyl misses him," he muttered, still pretending he hated keeping the dog until Kelly and McGee found a house. "You makin' him go to school tomorrow?"

"Yes," Kelly said firmly. "I'm not about to start teaching him he can hide from his problems. And I don't want those kids calling him _scaredy-cat_, too."

"Let me pick 'im up early," Gibbs bargained. "Park won't be crowded after lunch if the other kids are still in school."

Kelly considered it for a moment.

"Okay, he'll like that," she agreed. "It's just kindergarten. What could he miss?"

"Chasing girls around the playground," Gibbs suggested wickedly.

"My son is _hardly_ delinquent enough to do something that ungentlemanly."

Gibbs snorted skeptically.

"He's still a _guy_," he pointed out. "Even if you put him in a pink power ranger's outfit."

"Girl power," Kelly retorted solemnly. "I do declare, Levi Gibbs would _never_ treat a lady ill," Kelly said, putting on a silly southern accent, "for his gallant Marine grandfather would just give him a good lickin' with a belt."

"Pick him up at noon tomorrow," Gibbs said loudly, rolling his eyes.

"Thanks Dad. Love you," she trilled saccharinely.

Gibbs just rolled his eyes and hung up. He tossed the phone aside and then whistled, snapping his finger to call the dog back to him. Pterodactyl came bounding back with the rawhide and lobbed it at Gibbs' feet hyperactively, wagging his tale maniacally.

Gibbs picked up the dog toy and waved it at the dog teasingly, giving him a baleful look.

He glanced at the clock. Jenny probably wouldn't be home for another couple of hours.

"You think it would kill you if I made you lick all that pink crap off my tools?" Gibbs asked the dog seriously.

Pterodactyl barked.

Gibbs threw him the bone.

* * *

Gibbs heard her come in the door and didn't move from his space on the couch. The dumb dog had ignored his orders to sleep on the floor and was crowding around his legs at the opposite arm rest; Gibbs was busy concentrating on a crossword puzzle.

That is, until his wife leaned over the back of the couch and dropped a wooden horse about the size of her palm onto his face.

"What was that doing tucked into my badge?" she demanded.

"Welcome home," Gibbs retorted blithely.

She glared at him.

"It fell out at a crime scene," she informed him.

When he did nothing but look smug, she narrowed her eyes.

"In front of an FBI agent."

Gibbs snorted, putting his paper down on his lap and giving her a real smirk. She gave him a mild, baleful look and tried to snatch the horse; he beat her to it, swept it out of the way with the paper, and grabbed her arm. He grinned and tugged her over the couch onto his lap.

Jenny Gibbs, nee Shepard, squealed in surprise, and Pterodactyl let out a mild, annoyed sigh at being so disturbed. Gibbs prodded him with his foot until the dog hopped off the couch and gave him a lot more room.

Gibbs kissed her, wrapping his arms around her and trapping her to his chest. She stabbed her heel into his socked foot and tried to maintain a scowl, but he forced a smile out of her.

"That the only one you found?" he asked, pressing a kiss to her jaw for good measure.

She buried her head in his chest and made an annoyed noise.

"What the hell, _Jethro_?" she asked bluntly.

"You said they were like an army of creepy apocalypse horsemen!" he accused.

"They _are_!"

"Well, now they're after you," he retorted.

Jenny reached up and ruffled her hair around, pretending to search for something on her scalp. She made a show of stroking her hair for a moment, then put on a mock look of relief.

"Six-six-six," she murmured, tracing her finger playfully. "Oh, _excellent_, I'm still the commander of those horsemen," she drawled wickedly.

"Pretty sure the horsemen are on the good guy's side, Jen."

"Not anymore, Cowboy," she purred, puckering her lips at him teasingly. "I can turn any good man _bad_."

"Yeah," Gibbs snorted. "Delilah with a heart of gold," he growled.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Sweet," she murmured, and lowered her lips to his. "Enough with the stupid wooden ponies, Hoss," she said between kisses. "Pterodactyl would love a fancy dog house, you know."

"No, we're getting rid of the dog as soon as Kelly takes him back."

"Oh please. You're going to have a meltdown when she takes that boy back," Jenny retorted, arching a brow.

Gibbs grumbled a vague protest about hating the annoying dog, but even he didn't believe it.

Jenny sighed heavily and kicked her shoes off, settling down into the couch with him. She pushed the paper off of his chest onto the floor and picked up the wooden horse he'd made that she claimed to hate so much. She ran her fingers over it, propping her elbow on her husband's shoulder and using it to support her head.

"Work sucked," she said obliquely.

He rubbed her shoulder soothingly. She made the horse gallop in mid-air, and then glanced at him through her lashes.

"You make any more today?" she asked suspiciously.

Gibbs gave her a dark glare.

"No," he said rudely. "Haven't touched my tools since you vandalized them."

"It was just pink spray paint."

"With glitter."

"You're masculine enough for it."

"It gets all over me."

"Well, if you won't touch them then my ploy to put a halt to your equine crafts is progressing beautifully," she said wryly. Jenny pushed her tangled hair back and shifted, tangling her feet up in his. "Speaking of pink, that was the only bright part of my day."

"Kelly told you?" Gibbs groaned.

Jenny smiled genuinely, and nodded.

"Poor tyke," she said, sympathizing with Levi. "I could spank all those little assholes for making fun of him," she threatened.

"They're _kids_, Jen."

"Spank 'em now, and I won't have 'em in my interrogation room in twenty years," she said mildly. "Hey, if it soothes your pride any," she began, grinning wickedly, "McGee had on this white shirt today with like weird purple and pink splotches all over it, and his tie had a huge pink stripe on it. I am fairly positive Kelly forced him to wear it."

"Good," growled Gibbs. "Man can't do a damn load of laundry," he muttered, still annoyed about it.

"Golly gee, am I glad _I'm_ not married to that poindexter," Jenny snickered. She held up the tiny toy horse. "I got Geppetto instead," she mocked dryly.

Gibbs glared at her and snatched the horse away, throwing it to the other side of the couch.

"You and Levi could build Pterodactyl a dog house with those pretty pink tools," Jenny suggested, and he couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. He tilted his head at her; she looked a little sad.

"Kelly thought that was a euphemism," he said suspiciously. "About the pink tools."

"That's because of a joke I told at work that we're not going to talk about," Jenny said vaguely, shifting her eyes away.

"I'm gonna talk to the kid tomorrow," Gibbs said gruffly.

Jenny ran her hand over his chest softly, plucking at his t-shirt.

"When Peter was four," she murmured out of the blue. "His grandmother bought him a ridiculous Easter sweater with a huge fluffy bunny on it, and I made him wear it to Sunday school," she paused, bit her lip, and smiled a little. "Two big kids made fun of him, but a little girl his age kissed his cheek."

Gibbs squeezed Jenny's shoulder, letting her reflect in silence for a moment.

"What a lady-killer," he quipped gruffly.

Jenny laid her head on his chest and breathed out slowly, cuddling into him closer. She must have had a damn rough day at work; she hadn't badgered him for dinner or done anything remotely atrocious to him since her arrival home. It was more common for her to mention Peter since they'd gotten married, but it was still a delicate subject.

Gibbs put his arm behind his head for support and kissed the top of Jenny's head, satisfied she was home to keep him company. Her unprovoked little memory of her son made him twice as determined to buck up Levi tomorrow, because he knew Levi's health and happiness made Jenny comfortable.

* * *

Gibbs had no problem picking Levi up from school. Kelly had made a phone call and sent a note ahead, and the kid was sitting in the office when Gibbs walked in to sign him out.

He grinned and hopped out of his chair next to the secretary, darting over to Gibbs.

Gibbs ruffled his hair and signed him out, nodding curtly to the woman. He put his hands in his pockets and Levi fell into step beside him as they walked out front, Levi bouncing happily with his miniature Star Wars backpack.

"You need a haircut, bud," Gibbs said, eyeing the floppy hair on his grandson's head with a Marine's distasteful eye.

Levi wrinkled his nose and grinned at Gibbs, shaking his head. He stopped at the curb and jumped up happily, his backpack sliding off his shoulders.

"Aw, cool, you brought the truck!" he exclaimed.

"Gibbs picked up the back pack and opened the door, ushering Levi in.

"Yeah, got your mom to agree just once," he said. "Seat belt real tight, got that?" he reminded the five-year-old.

Levi was never allowed in the truck because it required him to sit up front, but he'd always loved it. When he was real little, Gibbs and Kelly used to put a mattress in the bed of the truck and let him play in it on nice summer days.

Levi nodded eagerly, and Gibbs made sure he was buckled in tight before he tossed the backpack to the floorboards and shut the door, coming around front and getting in.

"Good day at school?" Gibbs asked, starting the engine.

"Blech," Levi said, crossing his arms and scowling. "School is dumb. Told Mommy I quit and _boom_, still here," he said.

Gibbs grinned, amused by his word choice.

"Other kids still givin' you a hard time, huh?" Gibbs prompted.

Levi frowned, and gave his grandfather a mini Gibbs glare.

"They say I'm a _girl_," he said grumpily. "They say I have to play with the girls 'cause Mommy made me wear pink socks and the pink shirt but the girls have cooties."

"Yeah, you'll change your mind on that one day," Gibbs muttered, smirking. He drove out of the elementary school and onto the main road. Levi harrumphed and frowned again, slouching in his booster car seat.

"Gunny?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"You aren't takin' me to the dentist, are ya?" he asked skeptically.

Gibbs snorted.

"Nah. That what your Mom told the teacher?"

Levi nodded, and he smiled impishly.

"We're being _sneaky_," he cackled.

"Wanna play some ball?" Gibbs asked, taking a turn that would lead them to the Little League baseball fields.

"Uh, _duh_," Levi answered, his face lighting up. "Tim's _bad_ at throwing catch," he informed Gibbs. "Mommy's too _busy_," he said. "That's why I gotta wear pink," he added, growling under his breath in a cute mimicry of Gibbs.

Gibbs frowned, and furrowed his brow, wrinkling his nose.

"Those other punks just buggin' you about the pink? That's all?" he asked.

"Yeah, 'cause it's wimpy and _girly," _Levi sighed, frowning.

Gibbs reached over and ruffled his grandson's hair again. He pulled into the parking lot outside the fields and turned off the car, satisfied that it was all but empty in the middle of a Friday school day.

He reached into the floorboards and picked up the gloves, tossing Levi a baseball and picking up his wooden bat.

"C'mon, slugger, what're you waiting for?"

* * *

Gibbs tossed the ball to Levi in a mildly challenging arc, and smirked proudly when the kid caught it. Levi tossed it back; his arm was getting better, but there was still work to be done.

Then again, he was only five.

"Good throw," Gibbs said, crouching down to catch the rolling ball. "Be confident with the follow through, okay, bud?" he advised, tossing it back. He stayed crouched down, finding it easier to be on Levi's level than go chasing the ball all over the place randomly.

He'd let the pink subject drop for a good half hour while he and Levi worked on the kid's catching skills, and he figured he was good to bring it up again while Levi was pretty focused on baseball.

"You shouldn't let those kids bug you about wearin' the pink shirt," Gibbs said gruffly, diving for the ball again as Levi's throw rolled right past him. He slid in the dirt and then got back to a crouching, catcher's position, brushing off his kneecaps. "They don't know what they're sayin'."

He tossed the ball back. Levi scowled.

"How come they say it then?"

"Don't know any better," Gibbs answered with a shrug. "Lots of ignorant people say a whole lotta _nothin'_," he said pointedly.

Levi scuffed his foot in the dirt.

"I don't wanna be the weird kid, Gunny," he mumbled. "Pink is stupid. It's a girl's colour."

"Says who?" Gibbs demanded stubbornly, hitting his mitt.

Levi threw the ball back half-heartedly, and Gibbs ended up having the get up and go get it. He tossed it back and forth into his own mitt a little and then crouched back down, raising an eyebrow at Levi for an answer. Levi glared at him and shrugged just as stubbornly.

"Dunno," he muttered petulantly. "Only the _girls_ wear it, I _guess_," he finally answered, and Gibbs nodded, making a face. He threw the ball back gently and nodded proudly again when Levi caught it.

"But do the girls always wear pink?" Gibbs asked, tilting his head. "Don't they wear other colours?"

"Yeah," Levi answered suspiciously.

"Ever see a girl wear blue?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah."

"Isn't that a boy's colour?"

Levi stared at him, and while the kid was thinking it over, he threw the ball back at Gibbs—pretty good throw, too; Gibbs managed to catch it with the tip of his mitt, and he gave Levi a thumb up with the other hand.

"Nice throw, son," he encouraged.

Levi frowned again.

"Yeah, I guess, 'cept boys don't call girls wimpy for wearin' blue," he muttered, annoyed. "Pink's _wimpy_."

Gibbs scoffed.

"My tools are pink," he told Levi.

"Nuh-uh," Levi argued. "Jenny made them pink and you yelled at her," he reminded his grandfather smartly.

Gibbs shrugged.

"Decided I like 'em," he said, cringing mentally and making a note to leave the tools pink until this whole laundry crisis thing was forgotten. He was really going to _get_ Jenny for that stupid stunt. "Doesn't make sense that pink makes you a wimp," Gibbs said, chucking the ball back.

"How come?" Levi asked, skeptical again.

"'Cause if pink's only for girls, it can't be wimpy," Gibbs retorted, shrugging. "You think your mom's a wimp?" he asked.

Levi stopped, holding the baseball tightly. He frowned thoughtfully.

"You think Agent Todd is a wimp, or Jen?" Gibbs prompted, arching an eyebrow.

"Jenny's a _ninja_," exclaimed Levi defensively. "Mommy's not a _wimp_!" he added, glaring at Gibbs as if he'd been personally offended.

"You gonna take crap from those boys sayin' your Mom's a wimp?" Gibbs challenged.

"Gunny," whined Levi uncertainly. "It's not the _saaa_-_aaame_."

Gibbs frowned, thinking it over. Levi was right. Women got points for having masculine traits; men got dogged for having '_girly'_ traits. Levi was a smart kid; he wasn't gonna be fooled by any plain old _pep_ talk.

"Tell you what," Gibbs said, patting his mitt again for the ball. "This weekend, you'n'me are gonna start building a doghouse for Pterodactyl," he decided. "Put my pink tools to use."

He thought he did a spectacular job of hiding how abhorrent he found the idea of working with those damn pink sparkly tools. He set his jaw and nodded when Levi looked shyly excited about the idea.

"Pink's pretty manly if it can build a doghouse for a big ol' German Shepard," Gibbs said pointedly.

"How we gonna show the boys at school that?" Levi asked.

Gibbs shrugged, and caught the ball Levi threw at him. He slid the wooden bat to the kid and indicated he should pick it up and get ready to practice hitting. Gibbs held the baseball in his hand for a minute and smirked.

"Let me take you to school on Monday, punk," he offered wryly.

"Can we take the truck?!" Levi demanded excitedly.

Gibbs nodded at him, figuring he'd weasel one more truck ride out of Kelly earlier. As for convincing those little dirt heads in Levi's Kindergarten class that _pink_ wasn't _wimpy_—because no grandson of Leroy Jethro Gibbs was a _wimp_—the former Gunnery sergeant already had an idea.

* * *

Gibbs threw his hammer into the toolbox haphazardly, finally finished cleaning up the mess he and Levi had made with their doghouse project. Kelly had picked him up about an hour ago with the hope of making sure he wound down and got a good night's rest before school tomorrow morning.

Gibbs went up the basement stairs two at a time, making a futile attempt to wipe the glitter off of his hands with an old dishrag. He was still glaring and scrubbing at the little silver sparkles when he strolled into the living room. Jen was lying on the couch with a gossip magazine, half-reading, half-watching her Sunday night television show.

"Hey," he said, waving at her a little to get her attention.

Her eyes snapped up from the magazine.

"Hay is for horses," she retorted, arching a brow. "Like the little horses I found in my tennis shoes this morning."

Gibbs grinned smugly at her. He hadn't been kidding about hiding them all over her stuff to get back at her for making fun of them. He didn't say anything about it, though, and stopped rubbing his hands.

"I need a pink shirt," he announced.

She arched the other brow silently and lowered her magazine a little, peering at him over the top of it intently. She narrowed her eyes at the rag in his hands and the glitter all over his clothes.

"Using those pink glitter tools has awakened a deeply repressed homosexuality in you, hasn't it?" she asked dryly, tilting her head in mock interest.

He scowled at her.

"Jen," he growled warningly.

With a dramatic cry, Jenny threw her magazine awake from her and flung her head back, pressing the back of her palm to her head.

"But this is so unexpected, Leroy, oh don't _do_ this to me!" she simpered mockingly, covering her heart with her hand. "Who is it? Who's the other man?" she demanded, lifting her head, managing to look quite distraught even with the sly sparkle in her eyes. "Is it DiNozzo?" she asked. She gasped. "Did he—did he have you at _howdy_?"

Gibbs glared at his wife in a mixture out outrage and horror at the mere suggestion of his taking up with…_DiNozzo_.

Jenny covered her mouth and put on a martyr look, lowering her hands slowly. She sighed heavily, shaking her head.

"Well, if you must," she said theatrically. "I won't get in the way of your happiness."

Gibbs glared at her until she was finished, and she managed to hold the melodrama for a full five minutes before she broke and giggled, wrinkling her nose. He threw his rag at her and she caught it, laughing more loudly.

"You need a pink shirt?" she asked, still amused over her little performance. "Why're you telling me? I don't have your closet memorized, _honey_," she pointed out sarcastically. "How do you know you don't have one?"

"I don't," he retorted, dead certain he was in possession of no such thing.

Jenny pursed her lips at him.

"You asking to borrow one of mine?" she asked, cutting her eyes to his chest. She gave him a solemn look. "Your breasts are too small," she deadpanned.

Fed up with the teasing, Gibbs marched around the couch and crawled over her, trapping her between his knees and attacking her ribs with his hands. She gave a shriek of surprise and twisted away, curling up to try and fend off his tickling. She kicked at him feebly.

"Give?" Gibbs asked in her ear.

She tried to hold out, but ended up nodding, and kicked at him in defeat when he eased up on her. She looked up at him and arched a brow approvingly.

"Well played," she complimented. "The ribs are my Achilles heels."

"I know," he sad smugly, and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Pink shirt," he reminded her gruffly.

"I suppose I'll have to buy you one," she answered, flicking her eyes down over him thoughtfully. "You need a polo? Dress shirt? Pink Floyd concert tee?" she asked, smirking. "What the hell is it for, Jethro?"

He shrugged, looking a little secretive.

"Secret," he retorted, as if that would fend her off.

"_Oooh_, like your pet name for Pterodactyl?" Jenny whispered, crinkling her nose cutely.

Gibbs stared at her. She reached out and patted his cheek sympathetically.

"It's okay, Duke," she said conspiratorially. "I won't tell the other men you call the dog _Ptero-darling_."

Gibbs groaned and slouched, hiding his face in her shoulder. She giggled again and squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.

"I don't pretend to judge what's between a man and his daughter's dog," she laughed.

"It's Levi's damn dog. You bought it," Gibbs retorted, still utterly distraught over the knowledge that Jenny had known this whole time about that stupid frilly nickname.

Jenny poked him in the side of the head and grabbed his chin, making him face her again.

"What's the pink shirt for?" she asked.

He scowled at her, silently wondering if this night could possible get any more emasculating.

"Gonna wear it when I take Levi to school Monday mornin'," he answered reluctantly.

Jenny blinked, looking at him mildly. She gave him a half-smile, and ran her hand over his jaw gently.

"Takes a real man to do somethin' that sweet," she murmured.

She pressed her lips to his jaw and squeezed his arm, expressing her approval.

"Mm, I've got a better idea than buying a pink shirt," she said, and smirked.

"What?" he asked warily.

"It is a secret," she retorted, throwing his words in his face—the exception being he knew he'd never get her to tell, when she could get anything out of him.

She smiled and cackled softly.

"There's glitter all over you."

He pulled back and glared at her.

"You look like a _stripper_."

"Jen," he growled warningly.

"An _expensive_ stripper."

"_Jen_."

"Will you go put your tool belt on…and take it off for me?"

"_Jen_-!"

He started to protest, but he stopped, and arched a brow at her—actually, that could turn out pretty well for him.

* * *

Levi threw himself into the back seat of Jenny's car and slammed the door.

"Mommy said no to the truck, huh?" he asked Gibbs sympathetically.

Gibbs nodded, and glanced back at him.

"Buckle," he ordered. "Yeah, somethin' about not wanting the other moms to think badly of her," he said, and rolled his eyes.

Levi snickered, and went about buckling his seatbelt. He looked up at Gibbs, gave him a ready-to-go thumb up, and then widened his eyes.

"Hey, Gunny," he shouted, pointing. "You're wearin' pink!" he exclaimed.

Gibbs looked down and pretended to shrug as if he'd just noticed.

"Yeah," he answered, and nodded. "So?" he retorted, and then gestured at Levi's Superman t-shirt. "Cool shirt," he said, and then turned back around, backed out of Kelly's driveway, and started the drive to school.

"If you got Jenny's car, what's she got?" Levi piped up curiously, still staring at his grandfather's pink shirt.

"She drove my truck," Gibbs answered.

"Whoa!"

"Yeah, 'cause girls can drive trucks, too," Gibbs said. "Especially you grandmother," he muttered, dwelling for a moment on how recklessly Jenny drove the damn truck. Like she was at a monster truck rally or a rodeo or something.

"Uh-oh, Gunny, Jenny says not to say she's grandmother," Levi admonished.

"Don't tattle on me, boy," Gibbs ordered, peering at Levi in the rearview mirror.

Levi made a motion to indicate he was zipping his lips, but Jenny would probably find out about it within the next forty-eight hours. Levi had a loud mouth on him that rivaled Tony DiNozzo's.

"Do I park, or drop you off out front?" Gibbs asked.

"By the playground," Levi answered. "The bell doesn't ring 'til nine!"

Gibbs checked his watch. It was about ten until that time, so he had enough time to glare some sense into the little punks giving Levi a hard time. He navigated the Elementary school's parking area slowly, making sure to watch out for stray kids, and parked near some other parents by the playground. Levi was unbuckled and half out of the car before Gibbs had turned it off.

"Hold your horses," Gibbs barked, turning around and glaring. "Don't get out of a car until it's stopped, you hear?" he demanded.

"Ooops, sorry," Levi said flippantly.

Gibbs swore the kid had gotten a little more unruly since he'd moved out of Gibbs' house and into a place with just Kelly, but it wasn't his place to say. He unbuckled his own seatbelt and got out of the car. Levi, backpack slung over one shoulder, scampered around the car and grinned at Gibbs with a smile a mile-wide when he got a full look at the shirt.

Jenny had disappeared to a convenience store after dinner last night, and come back with cheap pink dye. She stolen one of his old Marine shirts, bleached the light green until it was as pale as it could get, and then dyed it a vibrant, unmistakable, _pink_.

Gibbs figured it was worth it when he saw how happy Levi looked.

It didn't take long for a couple of the kid's friends to come running up: four boys, and two girls.

"Hey, Levi!" shouted the boy at the head of the group. He skidded to a stop. "Hey, where's your mom?" he asked, looking at Gibbs suspiciously.

"Yeah, where's Miss Kelly?" the next boy asked. "Where's your girly socks, Levi?" he asked, and Gibbs glared at him.

Levi pointed at Gibbs proudly.

"This is my granpa," he said. "He's a Marine _sniper_," Levi bragged. "_And_ he's wearin' pink."

"I like your shirt Mr. Levi's grandpa!" piped up one of the girls, darting up next to Levi and giggling. "It's pretty."

"My mommy's a marine," the other girl announced.

"Girls can't be marines!"

"Yeah _huh_, my mommy _is_!"

"Hey, you were a sniper?" asked the first little boy who'd spoken.

Levi nodded for Gibbs, looking smug.

"He was," he said, and held out his hands like guns. "Pyoo, pyoo!" he imitated. "He got bad guys!"

"You ever killed someone, sir?" asked the kid.

Gibbs glared at him silently, and the kid looked at him with awe. Levi folded his arms, smiling smugly again. He jerked his head at Gibbs.

"See? _Marines_ wear pink," he said loftily. "S'not _wimpy_."

"_I_ told you pink wasn't wimpy," the little girl said proudly. She smiled at Levi and wrinkled her nose. "C'mon, Levi, we're playing kickball!" she announced.

"Yeah, come play," the first boy said, evidently changing his mind on his stupid colour teasing ideas.

The little girl yanked on Levi's hand and he nodded eagerly.

"Gimme a minute, I gotta say bye to Gunny," Levi said.

The other kids scampered off, and Gibbs crouched down when Levi turned around and smirked, ruffling his hair fondly.

"Still need a haircut, punk," he growled.

"Maybe Mommy will let us cut it like yours," he retorted admiringly.

Gibbs shook his head a little.

"No, your mom doesn't want you lookin' like a Marine, it'll scare her," he said seriously. "But hey," he added, glancing towards the playground. He winked at Levi. "You go turn the charm on for that little girl, eh?" he joked.

"Nina? _No_, Gunny, girls have _cooties_."

"Tell ya a secret," Gibbs said, lowering his voice. "They don't. Got me one to prove it. Don't you want to be the first little man who figures out girls are pretty cool?"

Levi thought it over. He grinned, and held his fist out to Gibbs. Gibbs rolled his eyes about the dumb hand gesture DiNozzo and Abby kept training Levi to do, but he didn't leave his grandson hanging. He gave him a little clap on the back and gestured towards the playground.

"Kickball. Go, win," he ordered gruffly. "You tell _all_ those little girls that _real_ Gibbs wear pink."

Gibbs watched Levi dart off to join his classmates and smirked, leaning back against his car to watch for a minute.

He was still going to have to get a new set of hand tools—pink was one thing, glitter was a whole damn different story.

* * *

_boom shaka laka, that was fun.  
-Alexandra_  
_story #99_


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